Exercise/Activity Definitions

Moderate-intensity Aerobic Activity

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a slight sweat. One way to tell is that you'll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your favorite song. Here are some examples of activities that require moderate effort:

Walking fast

Doing water aerobics

Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills

Playing doubles tennis

Pushing a lawn mower or shoveling snow. (NOTE: We recognize that the shoveling deep/wet snow is hard work, but we generally don’t shovel snow at a steady state (non-stop.) Because most people take frequent breaks and shoveling ½ inch of snow is different from shoveling 3 or 4 inches, we cannot give “Vigorous-intensity” points for shoveling snow.

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you're breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Here are some examples of activities that require vigorous effort:

Jogging or running (non-stop)

Swimming laps (non-stop)

Riding a bike fast or on hills

Playing singles tennis

Playing basketball

Anaerobic Exercises

Anaerobic exercise is short-lasting, high-intensity activity, where your body’s demand for oxygen exceeds the oxygen supply available. Anaerobic exercise relies on energy sources that are stored in the muscles and, unlike aerobic exercise, is not dependent on oxygen from (breathing) the air. Examples: